Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been covering the Texas Rangers, from the big club down through the entire farm system, since 1998. His website can be found at www.newbergreport.com.

Asked & Answered, v.2.

Good
work – more than 120 questions this time.I could only get to about 40 of them.

Here
we go.

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* *

Q: What do you
think of the Andruw Jones signing?If he
shows signs of life in spring training and makes the big league club, isn’t he
just going to take away at bats from Murphy, Byrd, Cruz and Boggs, and shouldn’t
we be looking at those guys as hard as possible to determine if they will be
pieces when this team contends in 2010?Is Daniels going to try and revive Jones and flip him at the trade
deadline?It seems to me if he has a
good season and is on a one-year deal that he would not be with the Rangers in 2010.
– Chad
H.

A: Not surprisingly, Jones questions lapped the
field this time around.Chad’s version
hit a lot of the points many of you brought up.

If the one-year veteran acquisition spectrum is Kenny Lofton on one end
(flippable), Ben Broussard on the other (miserable), and Sammy Sosa in the middle
(serviceable), I’d place the Jones upside somewhere between Lofton and Sosa –
closer to Sosa – but then I’d take it all back for one primary reason: Lofton,
Sosa, and Broussard arguably filled temporary needs.Jones does not.

Texas doesn’t need Jones to work out.If he has a sensational month in Arizona, he’ll still
need a vacancy created by an injury or trade of one of the front four
(Hamilton, Cruz, Byrd, Murphy).Byrd is
the key.He’s not likely to be a Ranger
after 2009 because of service time and salary.If he can be traded for pitching in March – which may be difficult given
his knee issues – then Jones (if going well) conceivably provides Texas the
same thing Byrd does: solid center field ability with a right-handed bat
capable of doing some damage.

I’m not optimistic, but again, he’s here on a low-cost audition to give
the club some flexibility and protection – not to fill a void.

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* *

Q: What makes
Nelson Cruz’s situation different from previous years? Is he still a 4-A player, or has he finally
figured something out this time around? – Brett G.

A: I’m betting on the latter, buoyed by that
league-leading 1.115 OPS (.356/.448/.667) in September.What Cruz figured out in 2008 is how to make
pitchers throw strikes, first in AAA and then translated to Arlington.Cruz does cruel things to strikes.

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* *

Q: In the last 10
years what prospect has broken your heart the most and what prospect would you
say has come out of nowhere and been the most surprising?Since you have been covering the Rangers farm
system, who would you say is the biggest first-round draft pick bust? – Paul G.

A: Ruben Mateo is the
heartbreaker.Jeff Zimmerman is the
obvious answer to the second question but Scott Feldman deserves mention.Drew Meyer, for a number of reasons, is the
bust.

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* *

Q: 1. I am curious why the Rangers did not try and re-sign
Jamey Wright.He pitched very well for
the Rangers last year (until the end).Why didn’t they even talk to him?

2. If all the outfielders perform well this
spring, do you think this will result in a trade before opening day?If so, who is the most likely to get
traded?Who would draw the most in
return?

3. Are the Rangers finished with the free agent
market or do you think there will be someone else signed to a minor league
contract with an invite to camp in the next few days? – Daniel S.

A: 1. Well, we don’t know that they didn’t make an
effort.But given the workload he fought
through last year, certainly a factor in his second-half meltdown, maybe the
thought was he wouldn’t be as good a bet in 2009.

2. Yes, assuming Byrd is ready
to go and nobody else is injured during camp.Byrd is the most likely to be moved; he has value on and off the field,
he’ll be a free agent in seven months (and not likely to get from Texas the
first multi-year deal of his career, something he’ll want – and deserve – from someone),
and if Jones is playing well (as your hypothetical assumes), those two are
relatively duplicative.But Hamilton, of course, would
bring the best return.

3. Last year most players had
signed by this time, and Texas
still went out during camp and signed Sidney Ponson and John Patterson to let’s-see
contracts.Chances are even better in
this late-developing market that the club could give another pitcher or two an
audition.

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* *

Q: I know it is
way too early to worry about this, but what do you think will happen with Chris
Davis, Justin Smoak, and Max Ramirez, realistically only having room for two of
them? – Kent
S.

A: An impact trade.

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* *

Q: I hear talk
that Jose Vallejo will be working as a utility infielder at Oklahoma City.I hope he stays at second.Any chance Ian Kinsler is learning to play
left field next spring due to Vallejo’s
advancement? – Bryan
H.

Q: I’m curious to
read what you think the club’s long term outlook/projection is for German
Duran.He was a great prospect of ours a
couple of years ago, and now it seems that he’s been relegated to a utility man
role (if that).With Andrus’s seemingly
inevitable introduction this year, the signing of Omar Vizquel, and other
developing prospects on the way, will Duran ever settle into a role more
significant than a utility man (if that)? – Brett B.

A: Related questions, so let’s combine the
answer.Vallejo’s immediate usefulness to the
franchise is as a candidate to be a weapon on the bench, versatile defensively
and offensively.That doesn’t limit his
future necessarily.As for Duran, if by “relegated”
you mean “he isn’t going to unseat Michael Young or Ian Kinsler or derail the
Elvis Andrus train,” OK.But – and this
pertains to both infielders – Chone Figgins and Placido Polanco and Mark
McLemore broke in as utility players and eventually shed that tag.

*
* *

Q: With so many
talented pitchers in the system and not enough spots for them, what do you
think will happen to the leftovers? – S.D.

A: Any organization that can point to a group
of capable pitchers and call them “leftovers” is authorized to privately think
about parade routes.

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* *

Q: I’m wondering
why the Rangers don’t go sign Ben Sheets to an incentive-laden deal so when he
is fully recovered from surgery in mid-summer, he can step into the
rotation.Just imagine what a boost that
would be to team morale in the middle of the season.What do you think about this idea? – Wes R.

A: It’s a great idea, one that I’ve been
pushing (a “Jon Lieber deal”) since before reports of the failed physical
emerged.I’m sure the organization
agrees with everything you said.The
issue is whether Sheets thinks he’d be better off waiting until mid-season,
when more teams are interested.The flip
side is that he’d probably be better served having his rehabilitation conducted
under the supervision of a big league medical and training staff.

*
* *

Q: Considering
several young pitchers the Rangers have traded the last three years have
excelled with their new teams, WHEN the Rangers are contending near the trade
deadline, will the team be trigger-shy to trade Michael Main and/or Martin
Perez for an impact player who could lead the team to the playoffs? – Mark B.

A: If you’re talking about a two-month rental,
then I hope they don’t even consider it long enough to get trigger-shy.But a controllable player?Different question.In other words: Carlos Lee, no thanks.Matt Cain?Hmmm . . . . Gun to my head: Main and Perez are untouchable.

*
* *

Q: This question
doesn’t pertain to an individual Ranger player, but what is your thought on the
use of PED’s in baseball? Do you think
Bud Selig is handling the A-Rod situation appropriately?Should baseball test its players more
frequently? – Zach P.

A: Sorry, can’t hear you.My head is buried comfortably in the sand.

Meanwhile, here’s a tribute to A-Rod that I first posted in October
2006, courtesy of my favorite band:

Ugly apparition, God’s gift to oxygen

The puffed up immortal son

How they love him ’cause he’ll become

The ghost at number one.

How does it feel

To be the only one?

How does it feel

To be the only one that knows that you’re right?

How does it feel

To be a chalkline dollar sign?

How does it feel

Up at the address all the widows write?

― Jellyfish, “The Ghost at Number One”

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* *

Q: Did the
Rangers sign Andruw Jones, Brendan Donnelly, and Derrick Turnbow to help the
team in the short term but with the intention of flipping them in July? – A.S.

A: No.Those guys would likely bring Eddie Guardado-type returns at best.It’s not worth the investment of money and
playing time.Texas brought those three in to see if they
can make the team better right now.

*
* *

Q: I was looking
forward to Travis Metcalf getting a full-time shot at third base until the
Michael Young move killed that plan. He
seemed like a low-cost, home-grown, great glove with some pop in his bat. He is of an age where we cannot expect him to
wait until Young has to be replaced in order to get an opportunity. What gives? – Rick

A: Remember Tom Evans?Standout defense at third base, moderate
power, a couple shots to start in the big leagues.To me, that’s Metcalf’s comp at a minimum;
the absolute ceiling is Ryan Zimmerman.Obviously there’s a huge spectrum between those two extremes.He’ll need a new employer in order to
maximize things.

A: Who are the two lower minor leaguers?No, wait, forget that.Doesn’t matter.Davis
alone gets you an impact pitcher, and if you’re dealing with the right club
Cruz has some value as well.

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* *

Q: Three
questions about Nolan:

1. How do you think he’s
graded out so far?

2. What do you think his long-term
impact will be on the Rangers?

3. What kind of a relationship
does he have with JD? – S.F.

A: I’ve been very happy so far.His integrity and credibility are
unassailable – we knew that.The thing I
worried about was that he might have come in and decided to justify the importance
of his position by making sweeping changes, perhaps impetuously, particularly
since someone at his age with a lifetime of baseball achievement might have
been hungry to win as soon as possible.

To his credit, he has done anything but that.He’s been patient, has bought into the long-term
plan that Jon Daniels implemented in May 2007, and from all accounts is a
consensus-builder who has made it a priority to have all facets of the
organization unified in direction and approach.

And you can bet his presence here helped Texas land Mike Maddux, and nearly land Ben
Sheets.There will be more situations
like that.

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* *

Q: Jamey, I
expect the Rangers to go about 10 to 15 games above .500.What do you expect? – B.M.

A: So 86-89 wins?I don’t expect that many, but it can’t be
ruled out.I laid out more than a dozen
reasons on February 16 why it’s reasonable to expect 2009 to be better than
2008 was, and perhaps chief among them is to have a better April and better
health.Millwood and Padilla in what
amount to contract years doesn’t hurt.

*
* *

Q: What about a
list of top 25 Rangers prospects in the last 10 years? – David N.

A: David gets the medal for submitting the best
question in the storied, two-volume history of Asked & Answered.Love this one.

I went back and gathered the Rangers’ top prospects from the winters
going into the 2000 through 2009 seasons, and then tried to determine which
winter each player was at his pinnacle of prospecty goodness.Finally, in coming up with the list, I did my
best to summon up where my head was on each player at that time, without the
benefit of hindsight.So as much as I’d
like to switch Ruben Mateo and Adrian Gonzalez now, I’m playing fair.

Q: How reasonable
is it to think that Feliz or Holland
could possibly be on the Opening Day roster?If they are thinking 2010 is their real shot at competing, why not bring
up one or both of them? – Daryn J.

A: Holland – one percent chance.

Feliz – zero percent.I hope.

The reason you don’t run those two out there right now is they aren’t
ready.It’s not only about talent.Handle with care.

*
* *

Q: Who is the
best Rangers prospect you can remember that came furthest from realizing his
big-league potential (not including careers derailed by injury). – B.H.

A: Romar Benjamin Gil.

*
* *

Q: Justin Smoak
seems to have an incredible reputation already.Given the fact that the work sample is small, what is it about this guy
that makes him an almost universal favorite among those who rate prospects? – Tim
P.

A: He does everything but run.Everything.Tack on the both-handed-ness at the plate and his baseball rat
mentality, and it’s hard not to love his future.

*
* *

Q: How do options
work, and how are they used up? – Charlie L.

A: There’s an 865-word explanation in the
Transactions Hornbook chapter of the Bound Edition.

Biggest misconception is that every time a player is sent down from the
big leagues to the minors, an option is exhausted.Not the case: one option lasts an entire
season, regardless of how many times a player is called up and sent down.

*
* *

Q: In a recent
chat with Jason Parks, Keith Law said that a healthy Brandon McCarthy still
looks like a solid number two starter.What
is your opinion? – Ross L.

A: He’s got a ton to prove in the next six
weeks, maybe more than anyone in camp.Number two’s don’t earn number two status purely on stuff.

*
* *

Q: Can you give
us your predicted “Schedule” of 2009 Ranger prospect arrivals in Arlington? In other words, your monthly breakdown of
first time call-ups, including those breaking camp with the Rangers and
September call-ups as well. – Mike M.

A: Sort of a crazy exercise, since these are largely
dependent on injuries, rainouts, trades, and so on, but a shot in the dark:

Q: Chris Young,
Armando Galarraga, John Danks – which do you think was the greatest goof and
why? – Stan K.

A: Danks.Texas
may have underestimated his ability to get better and his makeup.The club definitely overemphasized the
importance of what it perceived to be his and McCarthy’s timetable to arrive.

*
* *

Q: Jamey, can you
explain for me why Adam Dunn wasn’t a better fit at DH than Hank Blaylock? I still don’t get giving an extension to Hank
instead of using the money to spend on a potential stud (especially at home)
like Dunn. – Terry B.

A: You’d spend $16 million to have both in
2009?Of course not.

Now, was picking up Blalock’s option a mistake?In retrospect, maybe.Nobody thought the hitter market would be
this depressed.(We know many teams who
spent early this winter would have better served to wait, but in the case of a
contract option, waiting isn’t permitted.)I do think, however, that Blalock could have a very productive season,
given how strong his 2008 finish was.

*
* *

Q: How did Holland perform in the
post-season as an amateur?He really was
locked in during the Texas League playoffs last year.Did his team make it to the JUCO playoffs?How excited should we be if he has a chance
at the post-season in a Rangers uniform? – Taylor S.

A: I tried to get Wallace State-Hanceville
playoff box scores but the media relations contact wasn’t responsive.Piecing together some game accounts, from
what I was able to gather Holland pitched twice in the JUCO World Series in
2006, and in 2007 he made two playoff starts, giving up one Calhoun run on four
hits and no walks in seven innings in the first, fanning seven, and firing 11
scoreless innings in the second, a 13-inning affair that the Lions lost to
Chattahoochee Valley, 1-0.

We do know that it was during those 2007 playoffs, as the Rangers’
draft-and-follow window to sign Holland was about to close, that the lefthander
opened the eyes of Texas scouts Jeff Wood and Rick Schroeder even further,
leading to the $200,000 bonus (fourth- or fifth-round money) 10 days before the
negotiating deadline that persuaded the 25th-rounder to go pro rather than
transfer to Arizona State.

*
* *

Q: What kind of
roster moves do you project the Rangers to make coming out of Spring
Training?It seems like they have a lot of
non-roster veterans invited to camp with (I think at last count) only one spot
on the 40-man. – Andy S.

Q: Out of all the
NRI’s, who do you see making the 40-man, and if it’s necessary who will lose
their spot? – Dave H.

A: Andy’s and Dave’s were just two of a good
handful of questions aiming at the same issue.

Best odds: Omar Vizquel, Eddie Guardado

Next best: Brendan Donnelly, Elvis Andrus

Reasonable shot: Andruw Jones, Derrick Turnbow, Joe Torres

Audition for first half: Jason Jennings, Doug Mathis, Derek Holland

There’s one open spot now.Eric
Hurley and Joaquin Benoit will be 60-day DL candidates, which would clear two
more spaces.If Dustin Nippert doesn’t
make the staff, he comes off the 40.If
another spot is needed?Depends.If the player for whom room needs to be made is
Andruw Jones, then maybe the club eats Frank Catalanotto’s contract or trades
Marlon Byrd (if healthy).Luis Mendoza
probably needs to show something in camp, too.

*
* *

Q: Game 7 of the
2012 World Series. Assuming all parties
reach their projected ceilings do you go with Holland, Feliz, or Perez? And why? Don’t forget to take into account their mental
make up as well. – Stewart S.

A: Give me Holland.Feliz and Perez will lack the big league experience to have earned the
responsibility of being number one.Then
again, David Price did too – you don’t need to be called “number one” (or even get
the ball in the first inning) to impact a playoff series in a huge way.

*
* *

Q: Percentage
chance that the starting catcher for the Rangers in 2010 is Salty, Teagarden,
Max or other. – Mike H.

A: 100 percent.(Kidding.)I’ll say in 2009 it
breaks down as 60/40/0.But you asked
about 2010, and my answer is different: 35/65/0.

*
* *

Q: Do you agree
with possibly batting Nelly in front of Josh to begin the season? I believe he could benefit from seeing a few
more fastballs early in the year. – Frank S.

A: If you believe enough in Cruz to hit him
third in the lineup, better to go with him at number four to break up the
left-handed hitters.

*
* *

Q: Do you expect
there will be any surprise players on the Opening Day Rangers squad? – Jimmy R.

A: No, but if I had to come up with a few
candidates, I’d go with Joe Torres, Thomas Diamond, and Joaquin Arias.(Maybe Doug Mathis, too, but since he’s off
the roster I think he’s a longer shot to break camp.)(Yes, Torres is off the roster as well, but
being left-handed that may be less of an issue.)

*
* *

Q: What kind of
role do you see Warner Madrigal playing not only this season but in future
seasons?Is he a type of guy that will
be pitching the seventh inning now with an eye towards taking over the closer
role two or three years down the line? – Zach B.

A: He’s a baby pitcher with little wear on his
arm, so I don’t rule anything out, but if he is what he is, I think shutting
down the eighth inning may be his ceiling role down the line.Nothing wrong with that.

*
* *

Q: Random
Question: If you could add one player to the rotation and one player to the
lineup from any organization, who would it be? – Salman M.

A: Maybe Brandon Webb and Carlos Beltran.

*
* *

Q: With Elvis
Andrus pushing the club to move Michael Young over to third base for the better
of the team to get as much talent as possible on the field at once, who is the
position player currently on the farm who is most likely to force another
current regular to change positions in the near future? – Matt S.

A: Justin Smoak. But that’s no knock on Chris
Davis, who may be close to Smoak’s equal defensively.(I think of Davis/Smoak as Teixeira/AG
defensively.)Davis is just more versatile and thus a better
candidate to move.

*
* *

Q: What do you think
the lineup will look like Opening Day 2010?Will guys like Main, Beavan, and Borbon
be with the club on Opening Day? – John M.

A: Roughly the same as 2009, which is a good
thing.Max Ramirez instead of Hank
Blalock.Borbon with a shot to force David
Murphy and Nelson Cruz into a platoon (Marlon Byrd gone), depending on how
those two develop this year.I change my
mind on Smoak all the time – too early to say whether he’ll have an Elvis
Andrus-like opportunity to start the 2010 season in the lineup, or make a Chris
Davis-like entrance a few months into that season.No on Main or Beavan, but I believe Main
could be on the Derek Holland track next year, getting a serious look in camp
with an eye toward a mid-season debut.

*
* *

Q: Do the rules
allow for Andruw Jones to be traded before Opening Day if he has a good
spring?Where do you expect Max Ramirez
to be opening day? – Gary F.

A: Yes, Jones can be traded (but teams won’t
offer much, knowing we might release him on March 20 if we’re not going to make
room for him on the 40-man roster).I
expect Ramirez to be the starting catcher in Oklahoma City.

*
* *

Q: I’d like to see who ranked in the same
slots that our guys did on top 100 lists from the last few years.Example: if Neftali is number 6, who was number
6 the last five years? – Jon N.

A: I like this question.I’ll revisit it in the report after Baseball
America unveils its Top 100 in the next few days.

*
* *

Q: Fast forward
to a couple weeks before the trade deadline.The Rangers, after a surprisingly quick start, are holding off the
surging Angels (three games back) and A’s (one game back) atop the American
League West.Fill in the following
blanks:

1. The hole(s) (whether
apparent now or exposed during the season) that the Rangers look to fill via
trade are __________.

2. The players (minors or majors) on the trade
block are __________.

3. The most integral part of the Rangers’ success
thus far has been ___________. – Adam T.

A: 1. Starting
pitcher who would fit in a playoff rotation, and an eighth-inning lockdown
reliever.

2. Nobody’s on the “block” if we’re
in first place.And nobody playing a key
big league role would be moved under that scenario.But no player is untouchable on the farm
outside of Holland, Feliz, Main,
and Perez.

3. Health, bullpen consistency.

*
* *

Q: Using only
players in the system now, what is your ideal 25-man roster in 2012? – Tim W.

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